Osaka's Rinku Premium Outlets are located near Kansai International Airport, and it is a perfect place to go casually shopping in Osaka before your flight.

You can reach these Osaka outlets on foot in about 6 minutes from Rinku Town Station, which is one train station away from Kansai International Airport.

Also, there is the Sky Shuttle bus that goes between the mall and the airport every 30 minutes. Since the bus goes directly between the airport and mall, you don't have to worry about any large purchases you make.

Out of the 210 shops we would like to recommend shops that sell "Made in Japan" goods.

At the KitKat Gift Shop, they sell around 40 types of KitKats, including the popular matcha series and KitKats made with sake and plum wine.

At Senshu Towel, which is directly managed by the Senshu Towel brand Union that originated from Osaka Senshu, they sell quality towels with high moisture absorption that retains the softness even after multiple washes. They make perfect gifts from shopping in Osaka.

Also, the shoe brand SCOTCH GRAIN from Tokyo Sumida-ku sells outlet-exclusive shoes that are hand made by a master craftsman at a discount price.

At Rinku Premium Outlets they serve a wide selection of different cuisines such as Japanese restaurant Mametora, Chinese restaurant Soryutougyokudou, Hawaiian burger shop KAU’AINA and Korean restaurant Bibim’. So you are bound to find something that matches your mood.

The mall holds 5 major sales throughout the year. They have the Premium Outlet Bargain Sale in January and August, the Spring Sale in March, Summer Sale in June, and Winter Sale in November. You can enjoy a greater discount on already great deals.

Also for foreign visitors, you can get the awesome ”Inbound Coupon.” This coupon can be used at over half the shops, excluding dining facilities. Some stores have restrictions, but you can receive a 5% to 20% discount. You can receive 1 coupon book per passport at the information center.

Mitsui Outlet Park Shiga Ryuo is the closest Kyoto outlet and on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays there are direct shuttle buses operating from Kyoto Station.

The mall is located in an environment with nature and it is family-friendly, with outdoor parks and indoor kid’s spaces. Also they hold major sales throughout the year. For more information please check out the website.

We recommend the children’s clothes brand Miki HOUSE’s outlet brand Miki HOUSE REPRO. Many foreigners give great reviews of the shop saying the quality is top-notch.

At GUNZE, which is popular with their stress-free undergarment, the men’s undergarment for T-shirts “in T” is popular. You will probably want to buy this made in Japan functional undergarment for yourself, friends and family.

Also at LOGOS SHOP, which has an exciting lineup of outdoor gear such as tents and BBQ items, is attracting attention with their collaboration product with the flower art unit “plantica.”

At Maccha House, the popular matcha sweets shop from Kyoto, they offer drinks and sweets that are made with matcha from Kyoto’s long-established shop Morihan. Since it isn’t as crowded as the main store in Kyoto Kawaharamachi, it is a great hidden gem.

There are also many key cuisines of the Kansai Area such as Oumiushi Okaki where you can eat the local Shiga Omi Beef, Gion Ramen Miyako with their unique Gion white chicken broth soup and aged thin noodles, Kamatake udon with their Kansai style udon noodles, and Gionyata Katsufuku where you can enjoy tonkatsu with a crispy exterior made with soft and delicious pork carefully selected by chefs in Kyoto.

The shuttle bus that operates on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and specific weekdays costs 1,000 yen one way for adults. Currently, they have a special deal where foreign visitors who take the shuttle bus on the weekday will receive a 1,000 yen shopping coupon that can only be used on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays by foreign visitors. Which means that the shuttle bus round trip will cost 1,000 yen.

Also if you say you saw ”LIVE JAPAN” and show the web page at the Information Desk at the South Mall 1F, all foreign visitors receive an Outlet Special Coupon. With this you can receive special discounts and novelty gifts, so make sure to grab it before you go shopping.

Kobe-Sanda Premium Outlets is located in a prime spot near the interchange of Chugoku Expressway, Sanyo Expressway, Shin-Meishin Expressway, and Rokkokita Toll Road, and also has great access with direct bus routes from Osaka.

These Kobe outlets are modeled after the luxurious residential area in the outskirts of Los Angeles, Pasadena, which will let you feel like a celebrity shopping in an open space area.

We recommend Zwilling J.A. Henckels for a place to look for kitchen goods to enrich your daily cooking experience. They have stylish pots, to sharp and hygienic knives, and many other items that would be perfect even as gifts.

Also if you purchase many things and run out of space, head over to Samsonite. They have a great lineup of hard case suitcases to leather products, and the staff will explain details of the bags such as weight, durability, and usability, so you can find the bag that matches your needs.

At Kobe-Sanda Premium Outlets there are various genres of food such as Western, Chinese, Italian, and bakery-style cafes, but we would like to suggest the Japanese Food and Cafe Chawan. The most popular dish is the “roast beef over rice served with grated Japanese mountain potato.” This is the only branch in the Kansai region and it is worth the wait to get in.

Also, we can’t forget about the Zenkoku Gotochi Donburi Yatai, the first shop in Hyogo Prefecture, where you can get regional rice bowls and local delicacies. Here you can enjoy local delicacies that have received gourmet awards and have been officially approved by the region.

At Kobe-Sanda Premium Outlets there are tables and chairs in various places where you can rest while looking around. There is even a playground for kids, which is great for families.

Also at the Information Desk, you can receive discount coupons if you show your passport. The discount coupons are only in Japanese, but every foreign visitor can use it. All you have to do is show the coupon when you are making your payment.

Each store provides discounts based on its own rule. You can make payments with various credit cards and Union Pay cards.

Text by:kurashisa